Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1887-05-01

yeAae stzee shore had ben any ttGns 81
Hihiitzsis asiiviiy. and he Gar asd bis
cheers weFs doubtless eo8gEaiaizfing
themselves that the hstsd and danger
eos oEEsuizat'sa bad ben saseinslly
sspprssssd. Saddenly ard wiGhous
warning. however. Il became Appassnt .
few wssks ago that the Eihilisss wsrs
a. bold end dstssmined a. sxeF, and
shas ihs work Of crashing then must
be undertakes ansv. Ths discovery
mast have been . crushing blow 70 the
eompiaesna officials Who Unsigned THAI
Siberia and The RAll0vs had tFiamphsd
over the arch enemy o The Empire.
In this EsnsWal Of NihfIisaie activity
ose fsst 10 especially siguihaant. Il l.
the IDEAS Of Nihiiism. and rot The men
and women who aeosUt them. which
have reappesred. The ideas have lived,
though the individuals have persisted
or the many who have been arrested for
participation 10 The attempts upon the
life Of the Car sF inplioatlon IN other
plots which have attFsoied les general
attention. al ere extremely yoanR.
None are ever twenty Eve. and The ma
ioFity ere under twenty. These are MOI
The Hihilisis Of fouF years ago. They
we're children then. and had scarcely
vensussd upen that go Of speculation
which nov yislds up thsIr lives a. hope
les wrecks. The men Who thsaghf,
the msa Who acted when sol0visf and
Hesohais lifted the daRaerof asssssins
tisn. have apparently retired from the
nsld asd permitted nev generation TO
take up the work Of revolution. Old
aRe has not sveFtAken them, for only
eight years have elapsed sincs solovief
made the arst Eihilistie attempts upon
ths life Of the CzaF A generation does
not pass away In eight years. These
Who we're NIhilists then have evidently
given up the work, but others. youRg.
enthusiastic. i0pulsive, have taken II
10. and the struggle will eoniinas. This
fact has been noticeable In sveEy Nj
hilistie revival. The active Nihilists
sFs invariably young. Many Of them
are litils more than childFsn. None Of
those who have been convicted have
been over thirty Ave. Many have been
a. yoane ~ sixteen OF seventeen. One
generation hes taken Up the reVoln-
tionary struggle where its predecessor
laid il down. TIE work Of building up
IN organization has apparently been
done anew By each new group Of youth
ful Fevolutionists. And willing work
era have each time been found TO per
form the work. IL bodies III for Russia
that this IL 90.
What 10 Nihilism2 What IL the mons
ter which Is slaia only to spring TO life
againl What are thess dragons teeth
which are buried In The earth only to
arise as armed men folly equipped for
battlel What are the ideas TO the propa
CATION Of which the most vigorous and
aggressive Of one generation after an
other devote their lives? What the
teachings which prove 30 attractive TO
YOUTH
These questions are not easily an
swered. One can far better tell What
Nlhilism is act than tell What II is. II
10 not q religion, for Il Is the very anti.
thesis Of religion. II is not a system of
philosophy. II Is not 9 popular move
ment. for 81 no period Ia It's history has
IL commanded the slightest degree Of
popular sapport. 1t is Aot q political
belief, for iIs triumph presupposes the
destruction Of ell governments. IL lie
allied 20 no religious, political OF
philosophical system OF either the an
cisnt or the modern world. While IL
bears q superficial resemblance 10 the
anaF ohis@ Of Most sad Schwab. the
slightest examination will reveal the
vast difference between them. Nihilism
is alone In the world and there is
ething with which u can be compared.
II 70 nld be impossible In any country
other than Russia. for 10 is nothing
more nor lees than . manifestation Of
that strange blending Of materialism
and mysticism which makes up the
Russian mind.
''If you should Ssh . Nihilist In What
his doctrine esRsissed." sAys Beaulieu,
''he woold reply. Take earth aHd
heaven, the state and the church, kings
and God, and hurl them DIVA and spit
upou thsmg this IL COR doctrine" Il
can be sesn from this that the philoso-
ply Of Nihilism Is presmiSeniIy q
philosophy Of destruction. lie adher-
ents are thoss Who are willing 10 AIlow
their individual theories Of n0rals and
government 70 remain In toe back.
ground while thsy join With all tAe dis
satisfied elements Of society IN an en-
deavor 10 destroy all that Row sxis,s. in
the hops that the new world which
mast Fiss 90 tha ruins Of the cid will Be
I A~A@&@ - AAaAANAy wa NANAN N1E1as AZ
is, therefore, more an absence Of philoa.
OpAy than = positive philosopaie sys
ten. Nihiiisss suppress their individu AL
theories while they meet on the com
mon sFoana Of hostility 20 that which is.
Tehsruychsvaki may be regarded a.
The father % Nihilism. lie began biz
work IN 1855 aud In 1859 was sxiled to
Siberia. whsre be remains. He pre-,
seated bis theories In a series Of q wells
in which the hero. Rakhmstof. held the
theories aud lived the life Of the ideal
Nihilis'. siBOs The inauguration Of The
vork by resernyeAsvski. 10 has at
traeted the asssF Of The Russian ysa,h.
Ia the cause % Sihilism The greatest
hArtsAips have been saRsted. the great
go pETvstions have been cheerfally an
deE9one. aud lives fsIl Of hopa and
prantss have ossa williasly yielded az.
NiAiiism has drawn 10 itsslf, net the
bsasal and dspraved. ous the intellicuat,
-